Rumours
by RedHairedMermaid
Summary: Military School is a guy’s place, so how will the boys react when it suddenly becomes Coed. Will the gang cope with morning runs, assault courses, fire arms and … communal bathrooms? Sqinoa
1. Chapter 1

Military School is a guy's place, so how will the boys react when it suddenly becomes Co-ed. Will the gang cope with morning runs, assault courses, fire arms and … communal bathrooms?? Sqinoa

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**Chapter One – 'Feel the Silence'**

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**Day One**

Irvine Kinneas, Zell Dincht and Seifer Almasy all flopped down on their own bed, their legs burning in pain. It was seven in the morning but the boys had been up since five, running since half past and dying on their feet since six.

"You would have thought I'd be used to this after a year," Zell sat up and stretched his legs making him wince in pain. "There was no way that was five miles."

"Maybe you're just getting weak Dincht."

Seifer had risen and was collecting a towel to go and have a shower. He walked past Zell with a smirk prompting retaliation.

"Or maybe I had to use extra effort today to push your ego out of my way Almasy."

Seifer gave a snort and walked out of the door, only to stop abruptly. He grinned more at the sight of a tired looking Squall Leonhart standing in front of him. Squall a young lad of seventeen looked up at the taller boy and his annoying smirk. "Don't worry Dincht, looks like Leonhart's even punier than you."

Rivalry was rife between the two boys, and had been since the day of enrolment. Seifer was good, and he knew it. Squall was just as good upstaging Seifer more than once in training, which was not something Seifer had appreciated. So he did what he could to make him self superior; be a complete git.

Seifer pushed past Squall knocking him with his shoulder. Squall merely shook his head, ran a hand through his damp hair and sat on his bed. Six more months, six more months and he wouldn't have to deal with that ego manic son of a b-

"As soon as I get a gun of my own, I'm going to shoot him!"

-itch anymore.

Squall and Irvine looked at Zell, Irvine raising an eyebrow at his friend's outburst.

"Stressed much Zell?"

"Am I that obvious?" Zell stretched his legs again, feeling them begin to stiffen.

"Nah, I'm just very intuitive."

"He's a jackass."

"True," Irvine stood up and grabbed his own towel.

"But let's see how confident a jackass he is without his towel."

Zell grinned as he twigged onto what Irvine intended to do and grabbing his own towel quickly headed out the door. Irvine hung back looking at the brown haired youth staring at the ceiling.

"Squall, you coming?"

Squall kept his eyes on the ceiling. "No you guys go."

"Alright man."

Irvine left, following Zell, psyched at the prospect of embarrassing Seifer. When they had left Squall sighed and closed his eyes. He didn't stay in that position long however and soon was on his feet, going for a walk outside. Somehow the idea of a naked Seifer walking in on him was not very appealing.

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"I must admit I'm reluctant about this."

Laguna sat at his desk frowning at the man in front of him. He was being pushed to make the school co-ed. It didn't seem like a bad idea in terms of any sort of military protocol. In fact Laguna thought it would do the school's reputation some good to show it wasn't discriminatory. But he wasn't sure how the boys would take it.

"You know there will be some resilience. The boys are protective of their … territory."

"You make them sound like animals Loire."

"You know that's not what I meant."

"I know but you can't deny the amount of girls' applications you have received. I, along with the other Governors agree it should be given a trial run. There are six months left, now would be a good time to give it a run. I know you want to Loire."

Laguna sighed and signed the document in front of him.

"A trial run. Do you have list for me to look at?"

"The students have already been picked and will be here tomorrow morning."

"How many?"

"Fifteen."

"Why not twenty?"

"We didn't want to overwhelm the lads. See you tomorrow Lieutenant. I'll leave it up to you to tell your boys."

Laguna watched the door close then spun round in his chair to look out of the window. It looked out across the large green training area and beyond that the school. The boys were heading to their classes and he smiled as he thought about the image of girls walking amongst them. He was walking on a knife edge and had no idea which way he was going to fall.

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Squall sat at the back of the class staring intently at his pen. English. The main subject that went straight over his head and into the bin. Especially now when they were studying poetry. What was the point in poetry when he was planning on joining the army? There was no logic at the institution sometimes. His eyes moved to the clock. Five minutes since he'd last looked. He suppressed a groan and looked back down at his notes.

The training ground was just beyond the classroom, he could see it out of the window. How he longed to be out there right now, fighting in some way, it didn't matter how, just to be able to exert his body. When physical exhaustion took him there was little time for other things to occupy his mind. That was the way he liked it.

Subconsciously he had begun to rub his forehead where a scar ran across the bridge of his nose. As was usual when he found himself touching the scar he looked over at the person who had given it to him. Seifer sat a few rows in front of him and Squall had a perfect view of the back of his head. On Squall's bad days it became a very tempting target for inanimate flying objects.

The bell rung and Squall, along with Irvine slammed his book shut and left the classroom.

"You heard about the news?"

Squall didn't respond so Irvine took that as a no and continued.

"Lieutenant Loire has called an assembly about some important change to the school. Zell's convinced it's a ten mile run in the morning instead of five."

"That should keep him happy."

Squall and Irvine entered the cafeteria and sat down with their food.

"Yeah he knows he loves it, but that's not it."

Irvine smiled knowingly and waited for Squall to ask him what it was really about. Squall would have much preferred it if Irvine had just told him, he wasn't a big fan of 'guess what' or 'guess who' or any sort of guessing game. Giving in he asked.

"It's girls."

Irvine's smile grew into a grin and he began eating. Squall was prevented from questioning further by the arrival of Zell and other lads who began complaining about the use of poetry. Irvine kept to his own lunch, not divulging his information to the other cadets. The looks on the guys' faces tomorrow would be too priceless to spoil the surprise.

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**Day Two **

The coach ran over a bump in the road jarring one of its occupants awake. Rinoa blinked and rubbed her eyes, remembering where she was. In a stuffy, smelly coach with a numb butt. Brilliant. She yawned and sat up stretching her arms above her head.

"Hey sleepyhead."

Selphie sat next to Rinoa. She wore a pair of jeans and white shirt with a bright red necktie and she was holding a packet of sweets. She held out the packet to Rinoa.

"Want one?"

"You're having sweets for breakfast?"

"Well it's not like they're going to be bringing round a gourmet breakfast trolley any time soon."

She slouched down in her seat and put another sweet in her mouth, still holding the packet out to Rinoa until she took one. Rinoa and Selphie along with six other girls had been travelling for four hours, leaving at four Am to get to Balamb Military Training Academy for eight. One or two others were still asleep.

Another ditch in the road and Rinoa bumped her head on the window. Groaning she placed her arms over her head. She didn't need to be injured before she got to the Academy. Selphie watched her friend and patted her on the shoulder quietly popping another sweet in her mouth.

"Oh we're here!"

A girl behind Rinoa yelled out and soon the girls who were asleep were perched on the edges of their seats. Rinoa felt her stomach tighten in apprehension. She wanted to go to Military school, she knew that. Regular school felt to loose and without purpose, here she would find it. But that didn't mean she couldn't be nervous. No matter what the title it was a new place and she was the new girl. That was always intimidating.

Selphie didn't seem to share any of her reservations. The girl was leaning against the chair in front looking eagerly at her new home.

"Oh my god, there's the training ground, and look at that assault course! Those guys won't know what hit them when I get a spin on that."

Rinoa smiled and swallowed the lump in her throat.

The coach pulled to a stop and the girls piled off. Rinoa adjusted her hoodie and picked up her bag throwing it over one shoulder. With the others she followed the driver.

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"Lieutenant, you can't be serious. These are just rumours right?"

Zell walked beside Laguna following him across the grounds. It had seemed that Irvine wasn't the only one who had connections and soon the talk of girls joining the Academy had spread. Though Zell was the only one speaking at the moment, there had been plenty of outrage the previous night.

Squall and Irvine, along with Seifer stood with a congregation of guys. Lieutenant Loire had stopped walking and appeared to be waiting for something. Zell however hadn't noticed and with as much respect as he could, whined for an answer.

"Right, sir?"

Laguna looked over at the group of lads. Not all of them were there, most had other obligations but there was about thirty. Thirty lads eagerly waiting to see if it was true. Unable to contain his amusement at their faces Laguna turned to Zell.

"Yes Dincht they're just rumours."

With perfect timing Rinoa and the other girls appeared round the corner. A stony silence filed the yard and Rinoa felt thirty pairs of eyes staring at her. Squall's face was expressionless as usual but his lack of expression was made up by the rest of the cadets. Some of the lads' mouths were hanging open in shock, while others glared. Irvine however was biting his cheek to keep from grinning. Glancing at Zell Squall didn't think he had ever seen the guy look more dumbfounded.

Skipping over Zell Squall's attention focused on Seifer. Squall hadn't heard anything about the towel and shower incident since yesterday but he had a feeling it wasn't just swept aside. It would be coming back to bite someone in the ass.

He had his characterised smirk plastered to his face and when Squall followed his gaze it landed on one of the girls. The girl who stood at the front of the group in a baggy hoodie and jeans. She was looking defiantly back at the guys though her eyes weren't focusing on any of them. At Laguna's voice Squall returned his attention to the Lieutenant, missing by a second the moment Rinoa's gaze fell on him.

"Gentlemen, meet the rumours."

"Oh, hell no."

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**Okay, I'm gonna admit this now. If the characters are OOC I do apologise and also I've never played FF - any of them. But I love them all the same, and the stories etc.** **So any glaringly bad OOC, let me know and I'll try and fix that. And review! Like any writer, I love them, so yeah review!!**

**Cheers.**

Chapter Two - 'Welcome to the Jungle'


	2. Chapter Two

**Hey, sorry for the late update. I actually wrote this chapter ages ago but it got lost in my list of priorities. But it's here. **

**Btw, I love reviews, they brighten up my day, and they may even help me update faster too ... and thanks to,**

AngelWings08

memories are nice

xsleeping-in-silence

AuraMistress

Verdanii

**for reviewing my first chapter.**

**Chapter Two – 'Welcome to the Jungle'**

The hall was packed. All the cadets sat down waiting for Lieutenant Loire to begin his speech. A circle of empty chairs surrounded the girls, segregating the two sexes. Squall sat several rows behind the girls. His eyes flickered towards them every now and then.

"Now I know this is a bit of a surprise," Laguna began. He knew it would be it had come as a surprise to him too, "but it's not a revolutionary change. In fact it shouldn't have any effect upon you lads at all. Except for one thing and I shall say this once and mean it. No funny business."

That comment sent murmurs around the room, with many of the guys grinning, though there was still a fair number of scowls in the audience. Selphie turned around and pulled a face at the grinning guys. Rinoa looked at her friend and hid her own smirk behind her hand. She wouldn't deny that Loire wasn't a daft man. Some of the guys were really cute and she found it rather amusing that that order hadn't been directed towards the girls.

On that thought Rinoa dared a glance over her shoulder, towards a particular messy haired brunette. He wasn't looking at her and she lingered her look for as long as she thought she would get away with.

"Quiet," Laguna spoke again, "And that goes for everything. Derogatory treatment or comments will not be tolerated. The ladies are just as capable as you. That's all for now cadets. Dismissed."

Laguna approached the girls as they stood up. They're bags had already been moved to their dorms though they themselves hadn't been shown them yet. "Well ladies follow me and I'll show you to your homes for the next six months."

He had seen her. He had felt her eyes on him and it had made him uncomfortable, having someone stare at him. It seemed he hadn't been the only one who noticed either.

"Seems you've got some admirers already Squall."

Irvine watched as the girls were led away, nodding in their direction. Squall ignored them and shrugged.

"Whatever. Where's Zell?"

"He's gone to practice his martial arts. Think he needs to clear his head from the sudden shock of seeing a female again. That and he's got that tournament coming up so he's going to be putting himself through hell to make sure he doesn't tank."

"Like last time."

"Exactly. Man that was rough."

Squall gave a small grunt in response and placed his jacket down over his bed. His lessons would start in about an hour and he needed a cold shower to wake himself up before he could sit through an entire lesson.

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Rinoa sat down heavily on the bed. It was springy making her bounce and her feet lift off the ground. 

"It's cosy."

Selphie stood admiring her new 'home'.

"It smells like feet. But since they apparently turfed out some of the lads for us that's not surprising," Selphie peered out of the window. They had a view of the entrance to the dorms and their room was on the second floor.

"Which has guaranteed there will be some resentment towards us," a strange voice added.

Rinoa and Selphie turned to the source of the voice. A girl with long blond hair stood in the doorway, seemingly looking as though she owned the place. She extended her hand.

"Quistis Trepe."

"I'm Sephie. Just Selphie."

Rinoa raised her hand in a wave and introduced herself.

"I guess this means we're room mates then huh?"

Selphie waved her arms at the two other girls smiling warmly. Rinoa flopped down on her back, bouncing again and pushed her bag to the floor.

"I claim this bed."

**Day Three**

The sharp music of a trumpet rang out across the grounds forcing the cadets awake amidst a large number of grumblings and face rubbing. Such a reaction came from the room of Rinoa, Selphie and Quistis.

Rinoa sat up stretching her arms above her head. Her hair was a mess, sticking in different directions and she shuddered from the cold. Quistis had managed more than her and was busy making her bed, while Selphie hadn't even managed to leave hers. Rinoa threw her pillow at her friend.

"Ey!"

Selphie threw it back and yawned. The clock read 6:00 am. Running her hands through her hair Rinoa headed towards the bathroom. Less than a minute later she walked back in.

"There are guys in there."

"What?"

Selphie was up and peering around the corner of the door in a flash. Quitis followed more slowly. Along the corridor the heads of some of the other girls were popping out, staring at the door that read 'bathroom'. It conveniently left out the 'communal' bit.

"They can't be serious," Selphie breathed.

"Communal halls, why not communal bathrooms? I'm assuming it's not open cubicle in the shower area," Quistis spoke as though she was expecting no less.

Quistis looked over Rinoa's head. She was less fazed by the prospect than the other girls, having been transferred from another Military school and so had had experience of sharing with boys. At least the shower area had been sectioned off.

"Only for those brave enough."

Three heads spun round to see a group of lads stood behind them. Seifer stood with his towel wrapped around the back of his neck, holding onto the ends casually. Irvine stood behind him, leaning against the wall. Next to him was Zell and further behind stood Squall. Rinoa smiled at the guys ignoring the playful nudge from Selphie.

"Is that to suggest you're one of the brave ones?" Rinoa asked.

She looked at Seifer who just grinned back.

"Come find out for yourself. I assume that's where you were headed."

Rinoa felt her cheeks turn pink and she bit her tongue. The reaction made Seifer smile more and he moved off into the bathroom, leaving the other boys. Zell had his fingers pointed at his mouth and was miming gagging.

"You'll have to excuse him ladies. He's been showering with the guys for too long. Can't understand the term 'discretion'."

Irvine looked down at Quistis who raised an eyebrow at him before disappearing back into the room. Irvine's gaze passed onto Selphie who stared back at him. She had to tilt her head hard as he was a foot taller than her.

"And who are you?" She asked.

"Irvine."

Smoothly he picked up Selphie's hand and bent his head over it, keeping his eyes on her as he did. Zell rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, tapping his foot in impatience. This was part of the reason he didn't want girls at the Academy. Can you say distracting?

While this happened Rinoa once again looked up at Squall who leant casually against the wall. He had his hands stuffed in his pockets and was looking down at the floor, his hair falling into his eyes though he didn't seem to notice.

He felt someone's eyes on him again and looked to the side, catching Rinoa's gaze. She gave him a warm smile and small wave but received nothing but a stony stare in return. Instead of deterring her though, it just roused her curiosity.

"This is Zell, and over there is Squall."

Irvine placed his hand on Zell's shoulder and pointed back at Squall. Selphie gave them all a sweep of the hand and a greeting.

"Hi."

"Excuse me."

Squall walked through Irvine and Zell into the bathroom. The social get together in the hallway wasn't getting him anywhere, there were much better things he could be doing with his time.

"Sociable guy," Selphie cocked her head after Squall. Irvine waved a hand dismissively.

"You get used to him. So since you girls don't seem too impressed by the bathroom, why don't you try the breakfast. All you could possibly want from porridge you'll get here."

"Well when you put it that way …"

Rinoa grabbed her friends' shoulders and steered her back into the bedroom, the flirting between her and Irvine becoming a bit too much to take so early in the morning. Rinoa agreed to meet the guys in the cafeteria after they had gotten dressed and closed the door. Showering could wait until the rush of guys had died down.

The thoughts of a bunch of guys showering across the hall drifted into Rinoa's head, and almost immediately the image of Squall pressed itself to the front. Squall in a towel, Squall surrounded by steam ... With a jolt Rinoa mentally slapped her self and turned to pull out her clothes to hide the blush on her face.

'_Not now!'_

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The porridge made an unappetising sound as it dropped off Rinoa's spoon and into the bowl. There had been other options, but the nerves in her stomach made it hard for her to eat anything. The porridge had seemed like a good idea at the time to calm her stomach but now it made her appetite even less. 

"You have to eat something. I don't want you collapsing on me half way through today," Selphie pointed her spoon at Rinoa. She seemed to have no problems with her appetite, but then she never did.

Rinoa gave a rueful smile.

"I won't," she said.

"Selphie is right," Quistis pitched in. "Training is tough, you will need as much energy as you can get."

Blimey it wasn't like she was starving herself. She had made a pretty impressive dent in Selphie's sweet supply yesterday and would bet anything she still had some energy left over from the large amount of sugar she had consumed.

"I'm fine," she said again adding a tone of finality to her voice.

"I'd agree with that statement," carrying his own tray Seifer slid into the spot next to Rinoa, smirking at his own comment. Putting her spoon in the bowl Rinoa shifted to make room for him and smiled at Irvine and Zell who settled themselves at the table as well.

"We missed you girls in the showers. That's alright, not everyone has the bravery of a lion,"

Rinoa bit her lip to keep from laughing at Seifer's compliment of himself. She glanced around to look at the others reactions, aware of Seifer's attention on her as she did. Irvine just shook his head while Selphie didn't try to hide her own amusement, a snort emitting from her throat. Quistis looked somewhere between bemused and appalled while Zell just looked pained. Leaning over the table he whispered to Rinoa.

"As opposed to Seifer who has the bravery levels of a kitten."

Rinoa grinned and the animosity that passed between Zell and Seifer was not lost on her. Deciding to try and calm the atmosphere down she turned to Irvine who was currently trying to get Selphie's attention.

"So, um, where's the other guy?"

"Squall?"

"Yeah, him," Rinoa tried to sound casual and as though she had just noticed his lack of presence. In truth it was the first thing she had noticed when the guys had shown up and Rinoa couldn't deny that she had been slightly disappointed that he hadn't shown.

"He usually goes for a walk before lessons or training. To 'collect his thoughts' or something like that," Irvine shrugged and tucked into his own breakfast. He had known the guy for several years and he still didn't understand what went on his Squall's head. Irvine figured it was easier to just let him get on with things.

Rinoa's curiosity however was beginning to reach a peak.

'_So he's a loner. I wonder why that is? Guess I'll just have to find out.'_

A loud clanging bell broke Rinoa from her thoughts and the cafeteria was suddenly bustling with movement. Irvine stood first.

"Well come on ladies, let me introduce you to our world."

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**There is a lack of Squall in this Chapter but he will** **coming back to the main focus again soon, promise.**


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